The Call of Jesus

Welcome to this lesson where we are
going to talk about the call of Jesus

and how the call Jesus gave us in the Bible
is the same today.

What Jesus said in the Bible is the same
for you and me who live today.

The second chapter in my book
"The Call of Jesus" is called

"The Twelve and The Seventy".

In that chapter I show that there is
a difference between what Jesus said

to the Twelve and what He said
to the Seventy.

But I don't want to focus so much
about that here.

You need to read the book to know
what the difference is.

What we need to understand is that
the call Jesus gave us

is for us today.

What Jesus said to the Twelve and to the
Seventy is for you and me who are living today.

But before we are going to look at Luke 10,
try to imagine

that you have been walking with Jesus
for three and a half years

and now Jesus wanted to leave you

and He wanted to say something to you.

The last words from Jesus, I believe
really, really, really reveal His heart

in a very, very special way.

And we can read those last words
in the end of the gospels, Matthew and Mark.

In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus spoke those
last words. He said here:

"All authority has been given to me 
in heaven and earth.

Go therefore and make disciples 
of all nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

teaching to obey all things 
I have commanded you;

and lo, I am with you, 
even to the end of the age."

These were Jesus' last words there.

Jesus' last words in Mark were:
(Mark 16:15-19)

"Go into the world and preach the gospel
to every creature.

He who believes and is baptized shall be
saved;

but he who does not believe 
will be condemned.

And these signs will follow 
those who believe:

In My name they will cast out demons;
they will speak with new tongues;

they will take up serpents;

and if they drink anything deadly, 
it will not hurt them;

they will lay hands on the sick,
and they will recover."

These were Jesus' last words.

And this is revealing Jesus' heart.

Not only His heart at that time, 
but this is revealing Jesus' heart today.

Why? Because He has not changed.

We have maybe changed.

The church has changed.

Our focus has changed.

But Jesus is the same yesterday,
today and forever

and what He said there

is also what He wants to say to us today.

Jesus died for the whole world,
not only for you and me.

He died for everyone out there.
This is His heart.

He came here to find, to seek
those who are lost.

And one thing He said there in 
the end of Matthew, I want to read again.

First He said in the end of Matthew:
(Matthew 28:18-19)

"All the authority has been given to Me 
in heaven and earth.

Go therefore, make disciples
of all nations."

But the question is: How?

How do we do that?

How do we go out and make 
disciples of all nations?

Do we go out, find a building,
get a nice church,

and get a nice worship band,

and then, hopefully, 
the sinners will come to us.

Is this how Jesus told us to do it?

I don't say it's wrong, but...

it was, actually, not what Jesus
told us to do.

What we often forget is that Jesus
did not only say:

Go and make disciples of all nations.

He also explained how 
He wanted them to go.

How He wanted them and us
to make disciples of all nations.

We often forget that Jesus said
so much more

then just: Go!

So, let's look at it again and read a little
further down in Matthew 28. He said:

"All authority has been given to Me 
in heaven and in earth.

Go therefore, make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them..."

And then it comes.

"and teaching them to observe (obey)
all things I have commanded you."

Jesus wanted those disciples
to make disciples of all nations,

baptizing them and teaching them
to obey everything He has commanded them.

So, what Jesus commanded His disciples,
not only in Matthew 28,

but while He was walking with them
on earth,

when He left earth He said:

Now what I have been teaching you

you go, make disciples of other nations,
baptizing them

and teach them to obey the same.

And then you go and make disciples
of other nations

and teach them to obey the same.

And now we are here 
and it's the same for you and me.

What Jesus has commanded them
have not changed.

It's the same for you and me
who are living today.

My question is: Why don't we do it?

Why are we so focused on going out
and renting a church building

and getting people to come to our church,
because this is not what He has commanded?

Why are we so busy doing many other things
than doing what Jesus said to us in the Bible?

It almost looks like it has changed,
but when did it change?

Did it change in year 500?

Did it change in 1500?

Did it change when we came into
the year 2000?

Did Jesus suddenly change and said:
Stop, stop, stop...

I don't want you to do what I told you to do.
I want you to do this instead.

No. But let's be honest.

Most people today are busy with church,

are busy with church activities,

are busy with programs,

are busy with so many things,

but they, actually, are not obeying
what we read Jesus was saying.

They are so busy without taking the time
to look at what, actually,

is Jesus wants to obey.

And what was it Jesus said to His disciples?

What was it He said to His disciples
they should teach us,

so we may obey it?

One of the places we read what Jesus
said to His disciples

that He wanted them to teach us
so we will obey it and teach others,

so they will obey it is what we read
in Luke 10.

So, when we are going to read these words
from Luke 10, remember

that what He there said to them,
He later said to them

that they should teach us 
so we will obey the same.

So, what Jesus says here is the same
for us who are living today.

And just be honest.

Where do we find in these texts 
I'm going to read here

that we should have nice, fine churches
with professional worship bands

and if we have a nice worship band
and nice, fine church,

the harvest would come to us.

I don't read in the Bible that the harvest
was supposed to come to us.

No, we were supposed to go to the harvest.

And the harvest is ready and plentiful 
and waiting for us.

I don't say it's wrong to have a church
building and meet,

but the problem is: if we just end up there
and not obeying Jesus - we have a problem.

Let's look at what Jesus said to 
His disciples

and what He's saying to you and me
in Luke 10. Read these words.

"After these things the Lord appointed
seventy others, and sent them

two by two before His face into
every city and place

where He himself was about to go.

And He said to them, 'The harvest is truly
great, but the laborers are few;

therefore pray the Lord of the harvest

to send out laborers into His harvest.

Go your way; behold, I'm sending you
out as lambs among wolves.

Carry neither money bag, knapsack,
or sandals;

and greet no one on the road."

Listen here.

Where do people do that today?

Where do people just come together
two and two and go out

in the harvest that is great and plentiful?

Where do we find people who are praying
the Lord of the harvest to send out workers,

as we are reading here?

You know, the harvest is ready,
the harvest is plentiful,

there's nothing wrong with the harvest.

The problem is the workers.

We need to go out.

And let's continue what He's saying.

Because what does He want us to go out
to do?

He wants us to find somebody.
He said here (Luke 10:5-11):

"Whatever house you enter, first say,
'Peace to this house.'

And if a son of peace is there, your peace
will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.

And remain in the same home, eating
and drinking what they serve,

for a laborer is worthy of his wage.

Do not go from house to house.

Whatever city you enter,
and they receive you,

eat such things as they set before you.

And heal the sick, and say to them,

The kingdom of God has come near to you.

But whatever city you enter, and they 
do not receive you,

go out into the street and say, 
'Even the dust of your city we wipe off us

as a testimony against you.

Nevertheless, the kingdom of God has
come near to you."

These are some of the things Jesus
was saying.

That we should go out and find
a person of peace.

Many people don't know what
a person of peace is.

They don't know what they are
going out for,

and therefore they are not going to find,

what Jesus has called them to do.

And He said what we should do
when we find that person,

that we should stay in their house,
we should eat and drink.

He said how we should heal the sick,
how we should share the gospel,

how we should not go from house
to house.

He also said when people will not receive
our message,

take the dust off your feet and hands
and move on.

It was what Jesus said.

And I want to say to you, 
in many years I have done church my way,

I have done it the way most people did it,

but some years ago I stopped doing it
my way

and I started to do it as Jesus is saying here

and that changed everything.

It changed everything, not only my life,
but it changed those people around me.

Yes, we don't live in Israel and many
things have changed today.

The culture has changed, 
the technology has changed,

and many things are different today,
but the call of Jesus is the same.

And one thing happens
when we obey Jesus.

Joy. We experience joy, we experience 
excitement when God is using us.

And when Jesus sent His disciples out
in Luke 10, we read later (Luke 10:17):

"They returned with joy saying:
'Lord, even the demons obey in your name."

They returned with joy.

Let me read something from my book here.

"What we need to realize here, is that 
the seventy disciples came home rejoicing.

This is what should be happening
when we serve God.

When we step out in faith on Jesus' Words
and see His Spirit work through us,

it should bring forth a great joy!

We should not be able to contain
our excitement.

I have seen this in so many people,

where they have taken their first step,

pray for someone for the first time,

shared the gospel with somebody
for the first time,

baptize somebody in water
for the first time,

or baptize somebody with the Holy Spirit
for the first time.

They cannot hide their excitement!

They are full of joy because they have
realized

that God has used them to spread
His Kingdom!"

Can you see it? Hallelujah!

That joy, that joy, that joy, that joy
is for you.

That joy is for you, and when you
start to obey Jesus' words,

you experience that joy,
you experience you are alive.

Don't be frustrated.

Obey Jesus.

Because the problem is that many people
in churches are frustrated

and losing their first love and their faith.

I want to read a little more from my book.

"An amazing revelation in Luke 10
is that this is for everyone.

Jesus did not only give these commands
to pastors

or to people with special status 
or special calling or talents.

The commands Jesus made in Luke 10
is both for young and for old people in Christ.

You don't have to wait to get started to obey
Jesus in what He is saying here.

Many Christians are sitting in their church
feeling frustrated.

They are frustrated because they are waiting.

They are waiting for something.

They are waiting for their turn
to be used by God.

They are waiting for the pastor to notice them
and give them opportunity to be used by God.

But I'm telling you that you don't need
to wait anymore.

Jesus has already given you His calling
and commandment for your life,

and it is so clear written in front of you."

I want to say: This is for everyone.

And when you understand what Jesus
is saying,

that the harvest is truly plentiful and ready,

and what a person of peace is

and how you can find a person of peace,

how you can heal the sick,
how you can share the gospel,

how you can baptize them in your bathtub,
how you can make disciples,

it's going to change, as I said,
not only you,

but many, many, many people around you.

And what we want to do in this video series

and what I want to do in the book
"The Call of Jesus"

is I want to spend a lot of time
on Luke 10.

I want to go through Luke 10 
verse, by verse, by verse.

And then give you examples
how this look today

and give you tools so you can start
to find that person of peace

and heal the sick, and do what
Jesus has commanded you.

So, until next time we see,
take a little more time

to read Luke 9, Luke 10 and Matthew 10.

Just be honest, look at it
and then look at your church,

look at your life, look at what
you grew up in

and ask yourself: Have we've been.
actually, doing it?

Have we've been doing what Jesus
has called us to do?

Or we have been busy doing 
so many other things

He has not called us to do?

And please share this video
and get the book, if you can.

Get it on Amazon, get it on our website.

If you don't have money for the book
send an e-mail to us,

to TheLastReformation.com
and we can give you a link

and you can get the book for free.

We want this to come out 
to as many people as possible.

It's time to obey the call Jesus has given us,

because the harvest is great,
the workers are few,

and in that moment we start to obey
His call,

it's going to change the world.

God bless you!
See you next time! Bye-bye!

The Call of Jesus